This invention relates to a document guide and recognition apparatus for machine reading of alpha-numeric characters that appear on the face of a document. It constitutes a manually fed slot reader, where the document is moved longitudinally by the user through a defined path on the equipment in order that its contents might be optically scanned and encoded into a machine readable code. The apparatus constitutes a self-contained remote peripheral which can be coupled to a host processor.
Optical scanning of printed indicia in the form of alpha-numeric characters has previously been accomplished by use of stationary scanner in automated equipment for feeding documents past the scanners, and by use of hand-held portable wands for loose documents. Both types of devices are relatively expensive and typically require auxiliary supporting equipment in addition to the scanner itself. Automated feeding of documents is justifiable only where large volumes of identical documents must be processed in a production batch. While hand-held wands are designed for intermittent use in applications such as retail sales facilities, resulting scan quality available by free movement of a wand across a document is variable. The path of movement of the wand must be carefully monitored by the user in order to assure accurate scanning of the indicia.
The present disclosure has arisen from an attempt to produce a self-enclosed scanner requiring no external support other than a power source and operative coupling to a host processor. It uses a guiding slot to assure proper relative positioning of the document and scan line. By applying optical character recognition techniques to the scanning process, it adapts to a rate of document speed which can be practically imparted to a document by hand-feeding along the length of the slot. In eliminates the need for manual adjustment or careful document positioning. The device is capable of being manufactured at a relatively low cost in order to permit multiple installations of the device in a facility such as a bank lobby or retail sales outlet.